Taken Aback

"Taken Aback". An idiom from my grandparents generation. (Probably.)

Yet, those 2 words came to mind as I walked past my bedroom chest of drawers. 

I realized (with a thud in my heart) that the picture on top was taken exactly 6 years ago tonight, with my pre-surgeries short hair. 

Taken with hubby and all three kids in the hospital "hotel " room the night before the beginning of my MAC surgeries....from excision to facial rebuilding.

This is the last picture of my "smiling" face, as I knew it, before I went under the knife. 

That "last picture" thought was what had me taken aback.

FOGGY FAREWELL TO 30A

PIX TO JOG MY MEMORY OF A GLORIOUS TIME BEACHSIDE!!
Even a few overcast skies could not dampen our days.

The sun always came out at some point.

Farewell fog. Welcome perfect cloud cover!!

Lunching a bunch on 30A...and beyond

So many choices for lunch on the Emerald Coast of Northwest Florida. Some better than others.

One "dining" consistency, regardless of time of day, throughout 30A and the beach roads beyond has been fantastic "wait staffs." Hospitable service makes lunching, dining or just munching more fun.
Local Catch was a fave for us---

 ---good food, homemade tortilla chips with my Mile 4 grouper salad* served  w/ the house white sauce. (Plus, I had the creamy balsamic on the side as well. Both were tasty!) Hubby's shrimp po boy came with the house habanero infused cocktail sauce. He loved it!!

*Featured in Southern Living Magazine, so the menu says.

Casey, our waitress, made the entire lunch a fun event----we left with extra chips, sauces and 30a coasters along with a rec for BBQ place we had to try----It was tasty---almost Memphis style BUT no slaw on the sandwich, just pickles. Who ever heard of such?

We also tried a "snack basket" of oysters and shrimp at Dusty's. The oysters were good but no better than Seafood Mkt Cafe which is a lot closer to our 30a condo.

Sometimes lunch consisted of a salad on the condo balcony. A plain salad that reached a new level when topped with shrimp from Goatfeathers, which they steamed for us. Following that with a piece of key lime pie was a perfect lunch.
Our final lunch out was at Great Southern Cafe in Seaside. My salad was good and hubby's warm pimiento cheese with pita was tasty. It was nice to sit on the porch but....he chef must not be from "The Real South" because the sweet tea was not sweet enough for this sweet tea aficionado.

Daughter Molly says she prefers Summer Kitchen Cafe in Rosemary Beach on 30a....but we'll have to save that for another trip.

Appetizers on 30A

An appetizer is to stimulate one's appetite----as if hubby and I need help for that. 

But....tonight we stumbled onto a "NEW to us" place, as Johnny Earle's Grayton Bar and Grill (in his old place, Criolla's) is closed indefinitely. Just around the corner we found Chanticleer Eatery off CR 283. What a find. 

We just had appetizers but we will be back----because they were delish!! 

Chicken Bruschetta Flatbread for hubby.

Guacamole Bites for me. 

Plus, "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" is on their playlist. It played. We danced.

We had to---it's the rule!!

What a fun staff who allowed it. Luckily we were in a front room by ourselves

Beach Warning ---30A Spring Break

Beach walks require sunscreen unless your wearing your "tennies."

Should have seen feet last night....before the aloe. 

In times past top of feet is always first place I slather with 50/SPF. A very scary memory lapse. Don't let it happen to you!

Today's walk was in tennis shoes........OUCH---when redness met the shoe/sock!

Breakfast and Brunch on 30A

FIRST THINGS FIRST---many restaurants are not open on Monday.

Many don't open for breakfast until 9 am when they do open. Beach time allows for sleeping in.....

 Of course, we had made a Donut Hole "run" on Day 1. So we had our favorite specialty bread on hand for our morning toast, not mention donuts and as well as a key lime pie to munch on all week.
Reminder: specialty breads sell out early in the day.

A Tuesday breakfast at Grayton Beach's Another Broken Egg had me "partially" eating a side order pancake that was the size of my head. Hubby had his weekly egg fix with an omelet---and the girl next to us (think size 0) was eating a cinnamon roll french toast covered in blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream.

Tomorrow's treat will be an "all the rage" cinnamon roll from La Loba's Bakery in the High Point area at Blue Mountain Beach. Signage is almost larger than the bakery tucked in the corner past Big Daddy's Bike Shop/Rentals.
We can walk to it from the beach....up the access steps at section 35.

Methodist Memories

The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof ...(Psalm 24:) The sea is His for He made it ...(Psalm 95:5)---both from my feeble memory.

Blue Mountain Beach, FL---first view captured on iPhone--too blue to even look real, but it is!

Those verses and the lyrics and melodies from these old hymns flooded my thoughts today as I was surrounded by the beauty of His creation.

All Creatures Of Our God And King (Hymn #62)

All creatures of our God and King, Lift up your voice and with us sing

Alleluia, Alleluia!

Thou burning sun with golden beam, Thou silver moon with softer gleam,

O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

For The Beauty Of The Earth (Hymn # 92)

For the beauty of the earth, For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth,Over and around us lies;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise, This our hymn of grateful praise.

This is My Father's World (Hymn #144)

This is my Father's world and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings, the music of the spheres. 
This is my Father's world: I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and sees; His hand the wonders wrought.

View from our table at the Vue on 30a where we had Sunday brunch. Restaurant had jazz musican but my heart kept humming the old familiar hymns.

Dining our way along 30A!!!

30 A---one l-o-n-g dining adventure. From Blue Mountain to Seaside, Seagrove, Alys Beach, Rosemary Beach and beyond.

We always start with our old faves. Usually our first stops. They never disappoint.
First daylight hours stop Seagrove Market Cafe!! Their oysters are THE best---fried of course---Seagrove Market Cafe wins "Best Fried" on 30A every year.

Friday Night---crab cakes at the Red Bar in Grayton Beach. Larry likes their gumbo and thinks it's better than that at Seagrove Mkt.
If taking kids go early before 5 pm opening. Beware---parking is limited and music can be loud in the front room.This trip (3/6)our hostess Victoria Mullins knew cuz Jay Liles, who used to sing there on Friday nights. That's why we always try to go on Friday.
(Family aside: Cuz Scott said today was actually Jay's, now a law school grad, birthday.

NOTE: Crabcakes only available at Red Bar on Fri. and Sat. night.

Oh my....put away the scales.

More Queries???

Here's the answer to today's entry original query. (See below.)

We went. we slid. We conquered.....urbanspoon that is!
Walker's Drive-in---North State Street---Jackson, MS---

Oyster Po-Boy---the first of many seafood entrees for next 6 days!!

Go "South" Young Man.

University closed. SO MUCH SNOW & ICE from Winter Blast 2015!

Car Packed. 

ROADS BAD!!!

Go? Stay?

If go, then when?

Let you know when I know!

Just like life---so many decisions----so many options. Need wisdom from the One who is Wisdom.

Query??

Where the Sidewalk Ends----where does it end?

Where the road begins....is the usual answer. 

At our house who knows where that road begins---thanks to winter storm Thor.

Thor is similar to the 1968 "dump" (16.5"  on 3/22) which I enjoyed as a senior at Memphis State University that year----I don't think we named storms back then. We also didn't know ahead of time, hour by hour, when the snow would arrive. MinuteCast®, anyone?

Weather Channel is dubbing our weather as the "March Mess" but I think it's beautiful---easy for me to say---I don't have to go to work, or, like Pop Pop's birds, fend for my food. 

I can just curl up with a cuppa and a good book. Wonder if Shel Silverstein has any snow poems in his, Where the Sidewalk Ends??